'America's Got Talent': Ansley Burns is grateful that Simon asked her to sing a cappella: 'The music was drowning me out'
'America's Got Talent' proves that talent comes in all shapes and sizes, and this season we witnessed a lot of teens and pre-teens audition and stun the judges with their performance.
Throughout season 14's auditions, we've come across magicians, singers, dancers, comedians, ventriloquists, musicians, etc. But the ones to steal the spotlight on the AGT stage mostly have been the kids.
One among them is 12-year-old Ansley Burns. Burns took the spotlight with her performance of Aretha Franklin's 'Think'. In a shocking moment, during her performance, Simon Cowell stopped her midway, not because he was trying to be mean, but because he found an issue with the backing track - it wasn't doing any justice to her voice. Simon suggested she do a verse and a chorus a cappella.
Though 12-year-old Burns was nervous, with the cheer she was getting from the crowd, Burns belted out the song, without missing a note. She made it to the next round with four yeses from the judges.
It's not an easy feat for a 12-year-old to sing in front of such a vast audience without being intimidated and that too without a backing track. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Burns shared how she managed to calm her nerves and deliver such a soulful performance. "It felt great. I never expected to go this far into the competition and it was an amazing opportunity for me!" the 12-year-old said.
She added that even though she felt nervous when Cowell told her to sing a cappella, she felt relieved because the judges could then see her potential without the backing track. "Yes, I was nervous, but I was also excited. I felt like the music was drowning me out, so I felt relieved because then the judges could see my true vocal potential."
She also told us what made her choose Franklin's song for her audition, Burns said, "I chose Aretha Franklin because I felt like it showcased my vocal ability and 'Think' was a song the audience could get involved in!"
After Burns finished her performance of 'Think', she received a standing ovation and heartfelt appreciation from the judges. It is something she's going to remember for a long time now, talking about that moment, Burns, said, "It felt great to hear their comments it was surprising and very scary because I didn’t know if they would like me."
Life has changed after her performance on the AGT stage. The young singer shared that it has been busy and crazy since everyone knows her now. "I have always wanted to be on one of the shows like AGT or American Idol. This has been by far the biggest stage I have been on to date and it has been a great experience," she adds.
Burns also let in that she was a bundle of nerves before the auditions. "I was nervous before the audition because I was sick, so I was just hoping I could get through the audition ok. I didn’t expect four yeses, but I am so thankful they liked me!"
Going forward from America's Got Talent stage Burns hopes to learn a lot, "I hope to gain more experience and opportunities to perform from being on America’s Got Talent and hopefully get to meet a lot of new people!"
Apart from that Burns also disclosed that her biggest inspiration is Carrie Underwood, and she would love to meet and perform with the award-winning singer.
'America's Got Talent' season 14 airs every Tuesday night on NBC. Check your local listings for more information.